


renewed eyes

by rockabyexo_fest, slytherbyun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Reversal, Angst with a fluff ending, Bullying, Discussions of Homophobia, Entertainment Company AU, Homophobia, Kidfic, M/M, Minor age difference, cameos from other artists, parents!baekchen, songwriter!baekhyun and ceo!jongdae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 11:32:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19463104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockabyexo_fest/pseuds/rockabyexo_fest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherbyun/pseuds/slytherbyun
Summary: When their daughter starts acting out, Baekhyun couldn't figure out what was wrongwith her. It was up to Jongdae to find out what caused their little girl to change.written for Rock A Bye FestRB086





	renewed eyes

**Author's Note:**

> ### Mod Notes
> 
> This work is written for the 2019 Rock A Bye Fic Fest: Round 1. We hope you enjoy! Make sure to give our writers all the love that they deserve~ Authors will be revealed on June 25!  
>  **Prompt:** RB086  
>  **Word count:** 6,936  
>  **Rating:** Teens  
>  **Pairing:** Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae  
>  **Characters:** Byun Baekhyun, Kim Jongdae, Jiyeon (Original Character), Others  
>  **Side pairing/s:** N/A
> 
>  **Warning/s:** Discussions of homophobia; some minor age difference
> 
> ### Author's Notes
> 
> I wrote this fic in honor of Pride Month. For the members of the LGBTQIA++, acceptance is still a long way down, but no matter how much we are bullied, beaten down, and ridiculed, we shall #ResistTogether, for #LoveWins.
> 
> To the mods, thank you very much for being patient with me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy my work!

Another busy day at work for the entire Kim Entertainment.

With the debut of a new solo artist, everyone is working double time to prepare for it. Taeyeon is one of the most anticipated solo artists to debut this year, and the company is afraid that they might not meet the expectations of the fans. Various theories already came out about what Taeyeon’s concept could be, and even the other members of Girls’ Generation have already hyped her up since the announcement of her solo debut. Luckily, the best team the company has was assigned to work with her. That included one of the most talented songwriters in the industry, Byun Baekhyun.

His office was one of the biggest in the building. Most employees thought he deserved it, since he produced the most number of hits. Baekhyun’s office was full of plaques of recognition for hit songs he wrote and produced. A great number of those hits were ballads, while some of those were pop tunes he did on a whim. The industry has recognized him as one of the most prominent songwriters, and everyone had fallen in line to work with him. Fortunately for artists under the Kim entertainment, they all have had at least one of his songs on their albums.

_ Bicheul sseonun sky— _

Baekhyun was busy tinkering with his piano, trying to figure out how Taeyeon’s debut song would go about. Even he felt the immense pressure for Taeyeon to do well, since she’s been fighting for this solo debut for quite a time. Because of the hiatus for Girls’ Generation as each member wanted to do their own thing for a while, the company decided for Taeyeon to debut as a soloist. This in turn puts pressure on all the staff, including Baekhyun.

When he couldn’t think of any new lyrics to add, he settled in his seat by his desk. Multiple pictures of his family were on display for everyone to see. He did not need to tell people, but they knew how much importance Baekhyun gives to his family. No one was really happy when his engagement to Kim Entertainment CEO Kim Jongdae was announced, more so when they got married in America. Their families didn’t even come to the wedding. People still thought that a man loving another man was wrong, and that they were immoral people. Both Baekhyun and Jongdae were willing to risk everything for each other, and getting married was a decision they both didn’t regret.

Baekhyun took the photo of Jiyeon set on his table and stared at it for a long time. To him, Jiyeon was the brightest star in the sky. The first time he and Jongdae saw her, they already loved her so much. She was the biggest blessing in their lives. Not the money, not the status. It was their daughter.

_ “Mr. Kim, a woman from Daegu looked at your file, and would like for you and your husband to adopt her baby.” _

_ After 2 years of a happy marriage, they decided to start a family and adopt a child. After 7 months since they filed their application, this was the first call they received that a woman picked them to adopt her child. They knew their chances to get picked were very slim, so when Jongdae heard the social worker’s news, he couldn’t contain his emotions. _

_ Baekhyun was just staring at his husband, who was pacing back and forth, unaware of what was going on. Since filing for adoption, Jongdae and Baekhyun were very excited in forming a family together. However, after two months since filing for adoption, the couple lost hope. Jongdae would pace back and forth like he is now, which got him worried. _

_ “That’s—that’s great! When can we meet her?” Jongdae asked. _

_ “She’s willing to travel to Seoul to meet you, and have the baby there, as she is six months pregnant.” _

_ “Okay, please call me if there is anything we can do to make her stay comfortable here. Thank you!” _

_ Jongdae hung up the call, and looked in his husband’s eyes. “Do you still want that baby?” _

The first time they saw her, they knew they loved her. When they went home with their baby girl, the couple promised to do everything in their power to make her the happiest child ever. Since bringing Jiyeon home, they gave her everything that she needed and more. Baekhyun felt like everything was right in the world—he is married to a wonderful man, and is blessed with a beautiful daughter. He had everything he needed. Twelve years later, Baekhyun believed they did all that they could to provide for her, make her happy, make sure she felt like she was loved.

Pulling Baekhyun away from his thoughts was his work phone ringing. He picked up the phone, and said, “Hello, Byun Baekhyun’s office, how may I help you?”

“Mr. Byun, this is Mr. Choi, the principal of Lee Academy for Arts.”

Baekhyun was taken aback—why is Jiyeon’s school calling him? Did something happen to his baby girl? Did she fail a class? Did someone hurt her? How is his baby?

“Yes, hello, did something happen to Jiyeon?” Baekhyun could barely keep his cool, worried about Jiyeon.

“I’m afraid Jiyeon was involved in an incident. Would it be possible for you to come down to the office at this time?”

Baekhyun settled on his seat, trying to wrap his head around what could have happened to Jiyeon. “Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

“Jiyeon is fine, but we need to see you or your husband immediately. Would any of you be able to come here?”

“My husband is out of town, but I’ll be there in a bit. I’ll just let my office know. Would that be alright?”

“Definitely, Mr. Byun. We’ll see you soon.”

Baekhyun raced to get his belongings, and the keys to his car. As he was rushing to the elevator, he called the company’s COO and Jongdae’s best friend, Chanyeol.

“Chanyeol, it’s Baekhyun.”

“Hey, Baek. What’s up?” Chanyeol asked.

“I’m leaving early today, gonna pick Jiyeon up from school. Just thought you should know in case someone looks for me.”

Chanyeol chuckled from the other line. “This is why you should get your own assistant.”

“I don’t need one, you silly fairy,” he joked. “If Dae looks for me, just let him know where I’m going. Thanks, Chanyeol!”

“No problem, will let him know, Baek. Take care!”

Baekhyun got in his car and drove to Jiyeon’s school downtown. 

* * *

When he arrived, all Baekhyun could think about was his daughter—if she was okay, if she was hurt; all the worst case scenarios rushed through his mind, and what scares him more is the fact that Jongdae was overseas for a business meeting. Whatever happened, he would have to handle it himself.

“Mr. Byun, the principal will see you now,” said the secretary.

Baekhyun’s palms were all sweaty already, his knees were weak, and his arms felt heavy. Dread was hanging over his head, prepared to hear the worst news possible. When he entered the conference room, he saw Jiyeon, who tried to not look in his eyes. Beside her was a male schoolmate of hers who was way bigger than she was. Surprisingly, the guy was the one icing his eye, while Jiyeon held her knuckles to her chest.  _ Jiyeon was the one who punched her schoolmate. _

“Mr. Byun!” the principal shook his hand. “Please have a seat.”

_ God, why is Jongdae on a business trip now of all times… _

He could see his little Jiyeon’s knee bouncing up and down while she played with her skirt under the table, trying to keep herself busy while looking away from everyone. It just made Baekhyun worry about her even more.

“Mr. Byun, Jiyeon was caught punching her classmate right before dismissal.”

_ So she  _ did  _ punch her classmate. No big deal. She might have just defended herself because he does— _

“Admittedly, she was provoked, but this was not the first time Jiyeon physically harmed a classmate.”

_ Hold on: my little girl? This can’t be— _

“…she also talked back disrespectfully to her teacher in the middle of a lesson…”

_ Wait— _

“…and has been distancing herself from her schoolmates.”

All of a sudden, Baekhyun felt his world crash. Jiyeon never showed signs of aggression at home, and is a warm, loving child. Baekhyun wanted to believe that the words that came out of the principal’s mouth were pure poppycock, but seeing how Jiyeon reacted to each statement was enough for him to know that the principal wasn’t lying. Jiyeon really was involved in a lot of things. And now, he felt like the worst parent in the world, not knowing what his child was going through.

Baekhyun straightened up in his chair, trying to treat this meeting as if he were talking to a team of producers. It was the only way for him not to cry, especially in front of his daughter. “Why weren’t we made aware of this before?”

The principal briefly glanced at Jiyeon, who turned away immediately. “She said that she would tell you herself, but as it shows, she didn’t.”

All Baekhyun could do was nod his head. “What are the possible sanctions she would have to face?”

“Seeing as most of the instances of the punching was provoked by her classmates, we will not suspend her. However, she would need to clean the classroom before leaving school for two months as punishment for her misconduct.”

“That sounds reasonable,” said Baekhyun. “Would it be alright for me to take her home so that we could deal with it over the weekend?”

“Most certainly, Mr. Byun.”

* * *

“Jiyeon, you have to explain what happened.”

The father and daughter arrived home after a long, silent drive from school. Jiyeon refused to look at her father, and went to sleep as soon as she could on the drive home. He knew his daughter was avoiding the elephant in the room, but they definitely have to talk about it. Baekhyun settled his stuff on the dining table before taking a seat beside his daughter in the living room.

“Honey—”

“Dad, I don’t wanna talk about it,” whispered the child. Jiyeon hugged a pillow to her chest, still not looking at Baekhyun.

He played with her hair to calm her down. “You can tell me. I just want to understand what’s going on.”

Baekhyun tried so hard to keep his voice in control, to not let his daughter sense that he badly wanted to cry. “Is it…do your classmates hurt you? Bully you?”

Jiyeon remained silent, refusing to answer. Baekhyun then stood up from the couch to crouch in front of his daughter. “Do we…are you mad at us?”

Still no response from his daughter. Baekhyun’s starting to lose hope. The change in his daughter’s behavior was drastic. He was lost—he didn’t know what to do.

“Then what is it?” Baekhyun couldn’t keep it together any longer, and let the tears fall. “Jiyeon, you have to tell me.”

She merely stood up and went to her room without a single word. All Baekhyun could do was cry and pound the couch so hard with his hand. Jiyeon was their whole world, and to see their daughter act like someone they hardly recognize broke his heart. He muffled his cries so that his daughter wouldn’t hear him. He cried and cried until he fell asleep. What he didn’t know was that when he fell asleep, Jiyeon came out of the room and put a blanket over her sleeping father. She went back to her room as silently as she came out.

* * *

Jongdae didn’t tell his family that he would be going home three days earlier than expected. As he was getting down the car he booked to drive him home, he was filled with excitement to see his husband and daughter. As he trudged his luggage behind him, he sent a text to the executives back at Kim Entertainment, scheduling a weekend off for him.

When he unlocked the door, he was surprised at the sight before him—his husband sprawled on the floor covered by a blanket. His daughter was nowhere in sight. Jongdae set his luggage by the door, gently closed the door, and woke up his sleeping husband.

“Love, where’s Jiyeon?” Jongdae worriedly searched for his child, as a sleepy Baekhyun was trying to get himself settled on the couch. Jongdae looked in the kitchen, and in the bathroom, but his daughter was nowhere in sight.

Groggily, Baekhyun sat up and told Jongdae what happened: from the call he received, to what transpired when they got home. Needless to say, Jongdae had the same reaction as Baekhyun—genuine shock.

With his head on his hands, Jongdae was at a loss—his daughter? How? Something was not adding up. Jiyeon was never a violent child. No one ever hit her; neither him nor his husband. She was raised to know and be sensitive towards people, as well as to be respectful towards them. A sudden rush of pain to his head was felt, and immediately sat down.

“Did we do anything wrong?”

When a child suddenly becomes a different person, most parents have only two factors to blame—their child’s friend group or themselves. Unfortunately, since Jiyeon just transferred to Lee Academy of the Arts, she didn’t have any friends, and while she kept contact with her closest friends from her previous school, they probably were not the cause of this drastic change in behavior. Could her lack of friends be the cause, or were they bad parents?

“Jongdae…” Baekhyun shifted to his husband’s side. “Maybe we can talk about this tomorrow with her. She has no school, after all.”

“Yeah, we can try,” Jongdae just wrapped his arms around his husband. “We’ll be alright, won’t we?”

Baekhyun just showed him his signature smile. “We were never given a problem we couldn’t handle, love.”

* * *

“Jiyeon! Breakfast is ready!”

The Kim-Byun household was always lively during the weekends as it was declared by the couple that weekends were always going to be family days for them. Since both of them were always busy during the week, they always made sure that they had no schedules during the weekend to be able to spend time with Jiyeon and with each other.

Baekhyun was busy cooking pancakes and ramen for everyone, while Jongdae was still fast asleep in their bedroom. Knowing his husband, once he smells food, he’ll be up in no time. Jiyeon usually wakes up at around 8-8:15 in the morning.

It’s already 8:17.

As Baekhyun finished setting the table, Jongdae was already awake and in the kitchen. Jongdae wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, burying his chin on the crevice of his neck.

“Good morning, love,” Jongdae whispered and kissed Baekhyun’s cheek.

“You reek of morning breath,” said Baekhyun, and playfully pushed his husband away. “Make sure to gargle with mouthwash before you say another word or kiss another person. Understood?”

Doing a mock salute, Jongdae headed towards the direction of the bathroom, while Baekhyun made his way to his daughter’s room.

He knocked on the door, and called his daughter. “Jiyeon, honey? Are you awake?”

He heard nothing from the room.

“Jiyeon?” he tried once again.

Still no sound.

“I’m coming in, okay?” He twisted the doorknob to Jiyeon’s room, and opened the door.

He saw Jiyeon sitting on her bed, reading what seems to be “The Hunger Games”. She also had her earphones plugged in, which is probably why she couldn’t hear him knocking.

“What are you up to, little one?” Baekhyun said as he sat beside Jiyeon. She quickly pulled out her earphones and hid the book under her pillow.

“Nothing, Dad. I just wanted to get in a little light reading, that’s all,” she calmly replied. “Is breakfast ready?”

“Yeah, your Papa’s waiting for us outside,” he said as he ruffled her hair. “We’ll wait for you to freshen up a bit, okay?”

“Alright, dad.”

* * *

The family of three were having breakfast quietly, with work stories being exchanged on the table. It made Baekhyun happy to see his child participate in the conversation, and was very enthusiastic when it came to the topic of artist comebacks.

“When will Mamamoo get a comeback, Papa?” asked Jiyeon.

Jongdae just chuckled and feigned innocence. They knew Mamamoo was her favorite group, and the reason why she wanted to go to a performing arts school and be an idol as well. Luckily, Mamamoo was signed to his agency, and were one of the groups Jongdae personally trained before stepping as CEO of the company.

“They’ll come back in about six months,” Baekhyun told his daughter. Jongdae made a face at him, while Jiyeon just stuck her tongue out towards Jongdae.

“You’re no fun,” said his husband.

Baekhyun just ruffled Jiyeon’s hair. “Well, you know how excited she gets when it’s Mamamoo.”

“But you have to work on Taeyeon’s debut first,” Jongdae reminded him. “Two songs are tough work.”

“Meh,” Baekhyun took a bite of the pancake.

“Daddy can handle it; you know he’s an amazing songwriter,” Jiyeon said as she fixed herself another plate of fried rice. “And besides, you know how well he works under pressure.”

“Your daddy’s a crammer, isn’t he?” Jongdae took the pancake off of Baekhyun’s plate and ate it. Jiyeon burst into fits of laughter as Baekhyun just gave Jongdae the death glare for stealing his food.

Kidding aside, Baekhyun just felt happy that Jiyeon was somehow opening up once again. She wasn’t as closed off as she was in her room and the day before. Hearing her laugh was some sort of reassurance to Baekhyun that their daughter was okay—there was just something wrong in school.

“…and your Dad had to use one of the songs he wrote for himself before to be used by the group.”

“Really? Daddy did that?”

“Did what?” Baekhyun was brought back to reality after being lost in his thoughts.

“Remember when you had to give ‘An Encore’ to SHINee because you weren’t able to finish the ballad on time?” Jongdae continued munching on Baekhyun’s pancake, while Jiyeon was finishing off her fried rice.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment. “In my defense, your Papa whisked me away the whole week and I couldn’t get anything done!”

“Papa does sometimes just drags us wherever he wants to go…” Jiyeon trailed off.

“Well, it worked out in the end.” Jongdae kissed Jiyeon’s head as he collected everyone’s dirty dishes. “Let me just get this cleaned up. So, what are we doing today?”

Jiyeon’s eyes suddenly sparkled as if she was waiting for the offer to come up. “Can we go to the new dog café? I heard they have corgis!”

And just like that, Baekhyun remembered what happened yesterday. He knew he had to put his foot down and find out about what’s happening to his daughter before he goes off rewarding her with anything. Happy as he was to see Jiyeon as her regular self, they had to get to the bottom of her drastic change in behavior.

“Let’s do the dog café thing tomorrow. For now, why don’t we just stay at home?” Baekhyun suggested.

A look of disappointment briefly flashed on Jiyeon’s face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“Wait, Jiyeon.”

She stopped for a bit and looked at him. “Yes, Dad?”

“You know we have to talk about what happened yesterday, right?”

Jiyeon’s face became sullen. “Dad, there’s nothing to talk about. I punched him. End of story.”

“Jiyeon—”

“Dad, please. Leave it alone.”

Without another word, Jiyeon left the dining room. Baekhyun sat down once again, with his head between his hands.  _ Great, the kid won’t talk to me. _

* * *

Jongdae was busy checking his emails in his office. Because of the impending debuts and comebacks planned, he still has to allot a few hours to communicate with the people on duty at the office. Not only does he have to approve room requests, accommodation for the teams, the comeback schedules and appearances, but he also has to check on human resource and aspiring trainees. There was also the leftover hype of the summer comebacks and scheduling of world tours.

> **_To: Kim Jongdae (Chief Executive Officer), Kang MinHae (Manager – Kim Taeyeon, Girls’ Generation)_ **
> 
> **_From: Kim Junmyeon (1/2 Chief Operating Officer)_ **
> 
> **CC: Park Chanyeol (1/2 Chief Operating Officer), Kim Jongin (Overall Creative Director), Kim Minseok (Chief Financial Officer), Oh Sehun (Secretary to the CEO), Doh Kyungsoo (Secretary to the COOs), Zhang Yixing (Asst. Creative Director)**
> 
> _ [PENDING FOR TAEYEON’S DEBUT] _
> 
>   * __Taeyeon’s final tracklist__
> 

>   * _Recording of the songs_
> 

>   * _Choosing the title track_
> 

>   * _Finalization of concept_
> 

>   * _Shooting of album jacket_
> 

>   * _Shooting for photobook_
> 

>   * _Shooting of music video_
> 

>   * _Scheduling teaser release_
> 

>   * _Music video pre-viewing_
> 

>   * _Scheduling debut promotions_
> 

>   * _Album production_
> 

>   * _Teaser release_
> 

>   * _Music video release_
> 

> 
> _ Follow up with Taeyeon’s team for the tracklist ASAP. Please send the email to the respective units in charge of each task. _
> 
> _ Signed, _
> 
> _ Kim Junmyeon _
> 
> _ ½ Chief Operating Officer _

The pressure to do well is always intense, but for some reason, because Taeyeon was one of the most loyal artists of the company, Jongdae wanted to give her the best he can. Every artist deserves the best that they can get from their agency. Letting them have their creative freedom, allowing them to exercise their judgement on things that do not necessarily concern their careers—these are just few things they can do as a company for their artists who always work hard. Running an entertainment agency is one of the hardest jobs in the world to do. Something is bound to go wrong. However, he has trust on his artists, his team, and in the fans. 

> **_To: Kim Junmyeon (1/2 Chief Operating Officer)_ **
> 
> **_From: Kim Jongdae (Chief Executive Officer)_ **
> 
> _ Kindly notify the song selection team to choose at least 5 b-sides as Taeyeon requested that the title track be written by Mr. Byun. _
> 
> _ Regards, _
> 
> _ Kim Jongdae _
> 
> _ Chief Executive Officer _

As Jongdae takes a sip from his second cup of coffee for the day, his phone vibrates from the pocket of his jeans. When he checks it, he sees that Baekhyun sent him a text.

> **_From: Love_ **
> 
> _ She locked her room. _
> 
> _ I can’t talk to her. _
> 
> _ She also did this yesterday, y’know? She walked out on me when I asked her about what happened in school. _
> 
> _ Is she mad at me? :( _

> **_To: Love_ **
> 
> _ Maybe she just needs her space. _
> 
> _ Do you wanna come here for a bit? _

Jongdae put his phone on his desk to check the calendar of activities for the year. Aside from Taeyeon’s debut, Mamamoo, Red Velvet, Taemin, and GOT7 have pending comebacks as well.  _ Jesus Christ, I’m never gonna get used to this job, even after eight years. _

“Hey,” whispered Baekhyun, peeking from the door. “You doing anything?”

Jongdae motioned for Baekhyun to come in, and sit on his desk. The latter obliged, facing his husband. “You’re still busy?”

He just held his husband’s hips. “Just replied to some emails. Pretty much done, actually. By the way, you have to finish Taeng’s song,” he reminded Baekhyun.

Baekhyun jumped off the table, and went to give Jongdae a back hug. “Almost done with the song.”

“How’s Jiyeon?”

Baekhyun just shook his head. “I tried again, but she wouldn’t talk to me. She would talk about other things, sure, but not about her punching a classmate.”

Jongdae turned around to face his husband. “Maybe I should give it a try.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you tried like, what? 4 times?” Jongdae kissed his husband. “Maybe I can try getting it out of her. After all, I did make her tell you about the time she played with your electronic keyboard and almost broke it.”

“In my defense, I definitely would not have gotten mad at her!” Baekhyun smacked his head. Jongdae just shut down the laptop and motioned to stand up.

“I’ll take her out tonight; don’t wait up, okay?” He kissed his husband’s lips, which was always a comfort to both of them.

“Alright, the baton is yours.”

\---

Jongdae drove up to a clearing he found way back when he and Baekhyun started dating. Back then, they would hide in the clearing when their families were too much to handle. They haven’t been coming here as of late, but whenever things in the office were stressful and one of his brothers would babysit Jiyeon, they would drive there and just sit in silence. They both promised each other that when the time was right, they would bring Jiyeon there and share with her their place of serenity.

“Papa, where are we?” Jiyeon was looking out the window, probably busy taking in the surroundings. The wind blowing through her hair and that angelic smile on her face just ended up posing more questions than answers.  _ I still can't believe this angel would punch a classmate. _

Jongdae smoothly parked the car, and went to get Jiyeon out of the car. "Well, we're in a field."

Jiyeon helped Jongdae to get the blankets and the basket of food from the trunk of the car. Baekhyun prepared this late afternoon picnic for them as his way of ~contributing~ as a parent (thanks to cooking lessons from Kyungsoo!). He had to stay behind because he was busy writing the song for Taeyeon. When Jongdae told Baekhyun that he would bring Jiyeon to the clearing, the songwriter immediately got to work preparing sandwiches and plenty of finger food for them to eat, and let him know that he would stay at home to finish Taeyeon's song.

“Yeah, but why are we here, Papa?” Jiyeon unfolded the picnic blanket on the field, while Jongdae walked towards her, carrying the cooler that contained the food Baekhyun prepared.

“I don’t know,” Jongdae told her. “I just needed some peace and quiet, and since your Daddy had to finish the song, I thought about taking you here with me.”

“Do you often come here?” wondered his daughter, taking out a sandwich from the cooler.

“Your dad and I did, whenever we were stressed,” explained Jongdae. “I was just given more responsibility in the company, and you Dad started training—”

“Wait, Dad was a trainee?”

“Have I told you how we met?”

Jiyeon stared at him dumbfoundly. “No, none of you haven’t, actually.”

\---

_ I remember it like it was yesterday. _

_ I got assigned to be the company’s chief evaluator for trainees. I was in charge of selecting potential trainees to join the company, evaluate their performances, and pitch to the creative directors who are those viable for debut based on their progress. Your grandfather just started to enjoy the success of SHINee’s debut, and was looking to launch a new girl group. It was a hectic time for the company because all eyes were on us back then. Of course, everyone was waiting for a group that would fail, and the pressure was on me to make sure it wouldn’t happen. _

_ I remember your Dad’s audition—he sang a self-composed song about losing a love that you didn’t expect to find. That was the first time my heart made this weird rhythm that everyone described when they see someone they like. I grew up thinking I was never going to fall in love, and would remain married to my work, but your dad…he lit something inside me that has been sleeping for so long. All it took was just the first line that he sang, and I knew I was a goner. _

_ It wasn’t easy; I had to keep in mind that your Dad was a trainee, let alone a man. Despite him being only five years younger than I was, it wasn’t right for me to feel the way I do. So I buried myself in work. Your uncle Minseok kept telling me that it wasn’t wrong for me to have a crush on your Dad, but I was planning on never letting myself get involved with him. Unfortunately for me, I had to come in and teach the trainees a thing or two about singing because Junmyeon was called by Father to join him in a business meeting. It was Uncle Junmyeon who was supposed to be CEO, you see. But when Father died, the four of us held a private meeting to discuss the future of the company, and your uncles chose me and all that. *chuckles* anyway, I had to cover for him in a vocal training class, where the only members who were present were your Dad and Yongsun. I gave them a 30-minute one-on-one session, and that’s when it started. _

_ “You have a nice voice, teacher,” your dad told me. Your uncles considered me to have the best voice among us four, but I didn’t really think of it that much. All I could say to your Dad was “Thank you,” and “Work hard!” _

_ I know, I looked like a fool, but I was really in shambles. _

_ Stop laughing at me, Jiyeon! _

_ Anyway, since that session, your Dad was improving in class that I was assigned to evaluate him and his batchmates for debut viability. It’s a word, Jiyeon! Anyway, I had to assess if your Dad can debut. But when he was going to perform, he told me that he just wanted to learn how to sing better and write songs. “I just…wanted to see if I can do it,” he said. “And I think I can’t perform in public, but I do want to write songs and sing if I could.” _

_ So I pitched to the board that he be absorbed as a singer-songwriter instead. The board agreed, and that was how your Dad got his job. _

_ Your Dad released a few songs, did you know? Don’t you look surprised, you saw his album at home! However, that was also the time we started to hang out outside of work, since he was already an idol. I never told anyone that I had a crush on your Dad. I was just contented that we were friends and nothing more. We hung out almost every night, and when things were so stressful at work, we would come to this clearing. _

_ NO, WE DID NOT DO THAT HERE. _

_ But you know what? This was where your Dad confessed to me, that he had feelings for me that he had no idea what to do. I kissed him. Don’t make that face! But after that kiss, we both felt that there was a bigger battle ahead of us, since same-sex relationships are frowned upon here. We were scared. We were afraid of what could happen to his career. But what could we do? We chose each other. It was the best decision we have ever made. Aside from adopting you, of course. _

_ Eventually, Dispatch caught wind and told Father that Baekhyun was seeing a male employee from the company. He called all of us along with his board to handle the situation. Under pressure, I told Father the truth that Baekhyun and I were dating. Needless to say, people started judging the both of us to the point that Baekhyun wanted to retire as a soloist and remain as a songwriter. _

_ People judged us, and even were disgusted when we got engaged. The only people who were really supportive were your uncles, along with uncle Channie, and some of our close friends in the company. They were the only ones who were there at the wedding. Did you know our families didn’t even come? I even bought them tickets, but they didn’t show. However, my parents have accepted that this is who I am, and your Dad is who I love. They tried to make it up to be by loving you as much as they can, and that was enough for me. Your Dad’s family still doesn’t understand, and it’s okay. It takes a long time, really. _

_ Honey, people can be really mean. Just because there are things they don’t understand doesn’t mean we can hate on people. This is what your Dad and I felt for each other, and there was nothing wrong. We did not hurt other people, nor did we intentionally ruin other people. My father was the most disappointed among all of them, and I felt guilty for hurting him. But I never felt that what your Dad and I have was wrong. We did get judged for it, and shamed for it, but we will never be ashamed of who we are and what we have—a love so true, and an amazing daughter. A daughter whom we are very proud of. _

_ \--- _

“Papa…”

“Jiyeon, no matter what happened in school, our love for you will never change. We just want to understand what’s going on with you.”

Jiyeon hugged Jongdae tightly, with the child slightly weeping in his arms. Jongdae just held her and stroked her back, played with her hair to calm her down. Nothing hurts more than seeing your daughter cry for whatever reason. If a parent could take the pain of their child, they would in a heartbeat. He and Baekhyun were aware that the world could be cruel, but they did their best to raise her to not hate the world as much as she wants to. They raised her to be full of love and kindness. Seeing their child in pain or in trouble hurts the most in the world, and they never want to see Jiyeon like that again.

“Your Dad and I…we make mistakes as parents. We aren’t perfect. We’re unconventional. But Jiyeon, know that we would do anything for you.” Jongdae kissed his daughters forehead and wiped away her tears.

“They were making fun of me.”

Jiyeon sat down on the blanket, her eyes brimming once more with tears.

“They made fun of me because my parents are gay.”

Jongdae just sat across his daughter, letting her tell the story she has kept inside her.  _ Oh, Jiyeon… If I could only take the pain away, I would. _

“I punched them because I got angry. They made fun of you and Dad. I tried to not listen Papa, I really did, but they kept teasing me because of you. I got angry because they judged you based on your relationship.”

_ Jiyeon… _

“I walked out of class because my teacher said boys could not be in a relationship with boys, same as girls should not be in a relationship with girls. Everyone started to make fun of you and Dad, that I got mad and walked out.”

_ Honey… _

“Papa, I never was angry at you and Dad. I punched them and isolated myself because they had no right to talk about my parents who did nothing but love me. They had no right to talk about you that way.”

Jiyeon just kept crying until she could cry no more. All Jongdae could do was listen to his child’s sobs. Even as this breaks his heart, Jiyeon had to go through this to understand life. It was just unfair of the universe to let a child who did nothing but defend her parents experience this mistreatment.

“Jiyeon, you do know we’re not mad, right?”

“Huh?”

Jiyeon’s sobs slowly stopped, and she looked at Jongdae.

“The world is cruel and wicked to things it doesn’t understand. Your Dad and I have learned to accept it, but you don’t deserve to be treated like that just because of our decision to love each other. I know you mean well, but punching people isn’t gonna solve anything, Jiyeon.”

“I know…”

“But I hope you also know that we are proud of you for standing your ground—for fighting for what you believe in. Just…don’t hit people next time, okay?”

Jiyeon smiled. “Yes, Papa.”

“And you have to tell your father about this…”

“Papa!”

Jongdae gave his daughter a bone-crushing hug, and kissed her head. “We love you, Kim-Byun Jiyeon. And even if the world doesn’t understand us, your Dad and I will always do our best to understand you.”

“Can we finish the food now?”

**_A month later_ **

Jiyeon was quickly fixing her things to be able to go to the session hall. Since it was their free time, she decided to watch Taeyeon’s debut stage on Music Bank.

“Jiyeon! You have to hurry up!” called Soojin, her closest friend in the Lee Academy of the Arts.

“Be there in a bit!” Jiyeon picked up her bag and headed straight to the session hall.

Students would stay here to watch idol performances, as a lot of them dream to become as famous and successful as they are someday. Every Friday, the school hosts a viewing party of Music Bank for the students to watch and learn from their seniors. Since Jiyeon was the daughter of the biggest K-Music entertainment agency, her classmates would ask details about who’s releasing new music, and if her other father wrote a new song.

The teasing died down eventually when Jiyeon started to apologize and educate people on the situation of the LGBTQIA++ in Korean society. Some of her classmates started to understand, but those who chose to not understand just simply didn’t engage in any activity with her, and it was fine. All Jiyeon needed was for people to know that the struggles of her parents with acceptance from society was common among different members of their community. A little empathy would go a long way, and she hopes that she can be part of the forces of change towards the general public’s perspective on the LGBTQIA++.

“Taeyeon!!!”

Screams of Taeyeon’s name filled the session hall, as it is one of the anticipated debuts. Jiyeon was particularly excited about the song. Her Dad wouldn’t tell her what the song was about. Usually he would give her an idea of what the comebacks were about, but she had no idea what this one was about.

“So, Taeyeon, everyone’s excited about your debut! How does it feel debuting as a solo artist?”

“It feels like a long time coming. I’m really thankful for my company, especially CEO Kim Jongdae, for the support and encouragement, as well as songwriter Byun Baekhyun for writing my title track.”

“What is your debut track about?”

“It’s about being free, being yourself, and taking control of your fate. It’s about how life is a beautiful thing, no matter how cruel the world may be. This is actually a personal song for Mr. Byun, so I am really honored to be given this song to perform, as it resonates with me as well.”

“Alright, Taeyeon, we won’t ask for a sample, because we’re sure you want to keep this as a surprise. We’ll see you later!”

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, it was announced that Taeyeon would be performing next. Once she was on stage, everyone’s eyes were on her. Including Jiyeon.

_ Sky that pours light _

_ (I) stand under it _

_ Fly as if I’m dreaming _

_ My life is a beauty _

_ A story I’ve heard often somewhere _

_ Ugly duckling and swan, a butterfly before it flies _

_ People don’t know, they don’t see your wings _

_ A new world you’ve met could be cruel _

_ But strong girl, you know you were born to fly _

_ Tears you’ve cried, _

_ all of the pain you’ve felt _

_ for the day you’ll fly even higher, _

_ It’s to prepare you. Butterfly, _

_ Everybody’s gonna see it soon _

Jiyeon had nothing in her mind but her Daddy and her Papa. She knew that they were in their office watching this at the same time with her. Imagining that her Daddy wrote this while she and her Papa were in the clearing, talking about her feelings and everything she had to fight just for people to be understanding of what their situation is. But she doesn’t care—she has two loving parents who never fail to be the best parents they can be.

_ Sky that pours light _

_ (I) stand under it _

_ Fly as if I’m dreaming _

_ My life is a beauty _

_ Forgotten dream, I draw it again in my heart _

_ Collect all of the times I withdrew and swallow it _

_ Small memories wake me up one by one _

_ It opens me up, as if it’ll fill the whole world _

_ Past the long, long night _

_ Want to embark on the road for a trip again _

_ Why not? In this world, _

_ One word that awakens my heart _

_ Yesterday, I was alone _

_ Countless gazes _

_ Falling tears _

_ I withstood another day again _

_ Yesterday, that was a close call _

_ All of the words that poured out _

_ It embraced me, who was shaking, again _

This song is a comfort. Her heart was full. Her Dad wrote her a song that would stand the test of time. Her parents rarely incorporated their personal life into their work, but this… Jiyeon could only wipe the tears brimming around her eyes to stop her classmates from looking at her.

_ Sky that pours light _

_ (I) stand under it _

_ Fly as if I’m dreaming _

_ My life is a beauty _

_ My life is a beauty _

_ Flower petals wilt _

_ I had difficult times, but followed a small light _

_ Distant day, let it go far, faraway _

_ I fly splendidly _

_ Sky that pours light _

_ Renewed eyes (Renewed eyes) _

_ Fly far away (Fly high, fly high) _

_ Beauty that belongs only to me _

_ Moment I close my eyes, Time stops _

_ I rise again  _

  
  


**_To: Daddy <3, Papa <3_ **

_ I love you both. Very much. _

**_From: Papa <3_ **

_ We love you too, sweetheart. _

_ We’ll pick you up, okay? Wait for us. -- Daddy _


End file.
